Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints have been made to the DVLA about vehicle excise duty refunds in each month since October 2014.

Andrew Jones: Between October 2014 and August 2016, the DVLA has issued over 10.7 million vehicle excise duty refunds. The following table sets out the number of complaints about refunds received each month by the DVLA since October 2014. October 201431November 201445December 201451January 2015114February 2015102March 201574April 201558May 201564June 201579July 201595August 2015107September 2015110October 201588November 201567December 201543January 201650February 201659March 201653April 201660May 201632June 201639July 201635August 201634

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refunds of vehicle excise duty were awarded (a) less than four weeks,(b) between four and six weeks and (c) more than six weeks after the original claim being made.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information in this way. Since 1 October 2014, vehicle excise duty (VED) automatically ends when the DVLA receives notification that a vehicle has been sold to a new keeper or the motor trade. VED also ends when DVLA is notified that a Statutory Off Road Notification has been made or a vehicle has been stolen, exported or scrapped. When the DVLA record is updated with one of these qualifying events, a refund is usually generated automatically to the registered keeper. This can take longer in a small number of cases where further enquiries by the DVLA are necessary or the vehicle keeper is asked to provide additional information.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refunds of vehicle excise duty have been awarded in each financial year since 2014.

Andrew Jones: The following table sets out the volume of refunds of vehicle excise duty issued in each financial year since 2014. 2014/152015/162016/17*4,439,0335,477,9552,234,931 *Figures for 2016/17 are April to August

Driving: Licensing

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the difference in cost between professional driving licences issued in Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. Fees for all driver licence transactions in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department for Infrastructure.

London Airports: Immigration Controls

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Gatwick and Heathrow airports to ensure that international flights are staggered to prevent congestion at immigration desks.

Mr John Hayes: The UK’s airports and airlines operate in the private sector and it is therefore for airlines operating at Heathrow and Gatwick to determine their schedules, working in conjunction with the airports’ operators.

Rescue Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the reported time of an incident to the coastguard service is the time a 999 call is received or the time that incident is raised on the computer.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken was from when a call was received for the coastguard service to when that call was actioned in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The reported time of an incident to Her Majesty’s Coastguard is the time a 999 call is received. Whilst HM Coastguard specifically records the reported time of an incident it does not specifically record an actioned time when that action does not involve the tasking of a search and rescue resource, such as when Coastguards are gathering information. Information may be held within the text narrative of an incident record but this would require a check of tens of thousands of records over the last five years at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to include HGV drivers in the skilled workers category.

Mr John Hayes: Tier 2, the skilled worker visa category for non-EEA nationals, is reserved for graduate level occupations. There are no plans to include HGV drivers in this category.

Regional Airports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from (a) Birmingham Airport and (b) other regional airports outside London on maintaining existing routes and increasing the number of long haul flights on offer; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Transport Ministers have regular discussions with airport operators across the country on aviation policy issues, including domestic and international air connectivity. The UK’s airports operate commercially, and it is a matter for them to work collaboratively with airlines to maintain existing air services and develop new ones.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to tender a public contract to perform the function of operator of last resort for (a) long distance and (b) regional passenger rail franchises.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has a duty under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993, to maintain the continuity of passenger rail services in the event that a passenger rail franchise terminates and is not immediately replaced. Following a successful procurement competition using the new STAR (Specialist Technical Advice for Rail) Framework Agreement, the Department has appointed a partnership comprising Arup, SNC-Lavalin Transport Advisory and EY to provide services to support the Secretary of State in connection with these duties. This includes advice in connection with the mobilisation and operation of a Public Sector Operator of Last Resort should the need arise. The Department does not intend to tender any other contracts to perform the functions of Operator of Last Resort at this stage.

Mersey Tunnels: Tolls

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the review of the Mersey tunnel tolls.

Andrew Jones: The Review of the Mersey Tunnel Tolls is being undertaken by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. I welcome the decision taken at its February meeting to reduce the cost of tolls to Fast Tag users. This was implemented from the 1st April this year, bringing significant benefits to local people. The Combined Authority is continuing its Review of tolls, to ensure that a sustainable long term position can be reached. I understand that an update report is due to be presented to the Authority this Autumn.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contracts for franchised passenger rail services his Department has tendered in each year since 2013; and how many such contracts his Department plans to tender under the existing franchising schedule in each year between 2016 and 2023.

Paul Maynard: The number of contracts for franchised passenger rail services tendered* per calendar year from 2013 to 2015 are as follows: Year No.of Contracts Awarded 2013 0 2014 3 2015 2 The number of planned of contracts for franchised passenger rail services tendered* per calendar year from 2016 to 2023 are as follows: Year No.of Contracts Awarded 2016 1 2017 3 2018 4** 2019 1 2020 0 2021 2 2022 2 2023 0​ *We have taken the use of the term ‘tendered’ to mean the completion of the tendering process which is contract award. The response does not require the number of Direct Awards as the question only asks for “franchised passenger rail services”. **The schedule shown reflects standard Department for Transport franchising timings. The UK Government has agreed in principle to transfer franchising powers to the Welsh Government to lead on procuring the next Wales & Borders franchise. In anticipation of this, the Welsh Government are developing their procurement approach which is planned to start earlier than shown on this schedule.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to his Department was of each re-tendering exercise held for franchises for (a) long distance and (b) regional passenger rail services in each year since 2005-06.

Paul Maynard: Prior to the re-launch of the Franchising Programme in spring 2013, the costs of different franchising projects were not individually recorded. The cost of each re-franchising project since the re-launch is as follows: FranchiseCost (£M)NotesEssex Thameside4.8151Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern7.288 East Coast8.4292Northern8.668 (to date)3TransPennine Express7.577 (to date)3East Anglia7.413 (to date)3 These figures include adviser costs (financial, technical and legal advisers), pay costs for the project team, “non-pay” costs (such as bidder day seminars, public consultations, etc), and VAT where applicable, for the duration of the procurements. Note that the sums invested in each re-franchising project are dwarfed by the (Resource) Support for Passenger Rail Services benefits to the Department from the re-franchising – £200 for every £1. Notes NOTE 1: The Essex Thameside figure represents the work done after the relaunch of the Franchising Programme. There was a significant amount of work completed prior to the pausing of the programme in autumn 2012 which is not included here. NOTE 2: The Intercity East Coast costs were not charged to the public purse, but were covered by the Performance Bond that National Express put forward following its default of the previous East Coast contract. NOTE 3: The figures for Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE) and East Anglia are the latest figures (as at the end of August 2016). East Anglia is still a ‘live’ project. Whilst Northern and TPE have concluded, there are still some residual costs that may affect the final figures.

Railways: Accidents

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many platform train interface incidents reported on the national rail network involved driver-only operated passenger services in each year since 2010.

Paul Maynard: This information is not held by the Department. Some information about platform-train interface incidents is held by the Rail Standards and Safety Board and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, but the Department understands that this is not recorded in a way that enables the requested breakdown to be provided.

Network Rail: Contracts

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the feasibility of the contractor delivering all contracted functionality of the first deployment traffic management system for the rail operating centre at Romford by November 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: It is a matter for Network Rail to assess the capability of the contractors they appoint to deliver their deployment of traffic management systems. Network Rail have confirmed to us that the commissioning into service of the traffic management system for the rail operating centre at Romford will be re-planned for next year.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing: Liverpool Wavertree

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure access to social housing for people in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency who require such housing.

Gavin Barwell: Through the Spending Review the Government has committed to investing £8 billion to deliver 400,000 affordable housing starts, doubling our investment from 2018/19. This includes £1.6 billion towards delivering 100,000 affordable homes for rent by 2021.Since April 2010, we have delivered over 293,000 affordable homes. Between 1997 and 2010 the stock of rented affordable homes fell by 420,000. Between 2010 and 2015, the stock of rented affordable homes rented increased by 64,000.Alongside increasing supply, the Localism act 2011 has maintained the statutory 'reasonable preference' criteria which ensure that overall priority for social housing is given to those who need it most.The introduction of fixed term tenancies in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 will ensure councils get the best use out of their social housing stock by focusing it on those who need it the most for as long as they need it.

Families: Disadvantaged

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect that the Government's Troubled Families programme has had on meeting its objectives related to underprivileged communities.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Troubled Families Programme has an important role to play in tackling disadvantage and poverty through its focus on families affected by complex, multiple problems in England. The programme encourages services to consider the overlapping nature of problems which families face - tackling the root causes rather than responding to each problem in isolation. It promotes a new way of working, with services coming together - typically through one dedicated worker - working with and understanding the needs of the whole family instead of constantly reacting to their individual problems.Through the original programme, launched in 2012, over 116,000 families had their lives 'turned around' using the criteria of the first programme, with children back in school; youth crime and anti-social behaviour significantly reduced; and over 18,000 adults from troubled families into work. The new expanded programme now aims to support 400,000 families with multiple, complex problems by 2020, and transform for the long term the way that public services work with families facing multiple disadvantages.

Planning

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that best practice in planning is shared between local authorities.

Gavin Barwell: My department continues to fund the work of the Planning Advisory Service, which exists to help local planning authorities share best practice, improve procedures and understand changes in national legislation and policy. Its current work concentrates in particular on places that need to prepare up-to-date plans and improve their development management services.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which of the recommendations made by the Ollerenshaw Review of Local Council Tax Support the Government plans to take forward; and when such recommendations will be implemented.

Mr Marcus Jones: Sir Eric Ollerenshaw's independent review recognised the successful implementation of local council tax support schemes by local government and made a number of recommendations which the government is now considering.

Parking: Unfair Practices

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the Parking Reform: Tackling Unfair Practices consultation.

Andrew Percy: The government made available the summary of responses to the discussion paper "Parking Reform: Tackling Unfair Practices" on 11 May.The summary can be found here: http://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/DCLG_Summary_of_responses_BPA.pdfWe will set out our proposals on parking reform in due course.

Solar Power: Non-domestic Rates

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of recent changes in business rates on corporate demand for rooftop solar power.

Mr Marcus Jones: Draft 2017 rateable values prepared independently by the Valuation Office Agency will be published for the first time on 30 September 2016. Once rateable values are available we will look closely at the impacts of the forthcoming revaluation and consult on how to make sure the right support is in place for businesses to adjust to any changes.

Housing: Construction

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will reassess the potential merits of proposals to make sustainable drainage systems compulsory in new housing developments at risk from flooding.

Gavin Barwell: There are strict tests in national planning policy to protect people and property from flooding and we have been very clear that where these tests are not met new development should not be allowed.The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that new development should only be considered appropriate in areas at risk of flooding where it gives priority to the use of sustainable drainage systems. The policy was strengthened in April 2015 to make clear the expectation that sustainable drainage systems should be provided in all major new developments, unless demonstrated to be inappropriate. The Framework is underpinned by planning guidance, including guidance on sustainable drainage systems, which was strengthened last year.The Housing and Planning Act 2016 places a duty on the government to carry out a review of both planning legislation and planning policy in respect of sustainable drainage systems in developments. Any subsequent changes would be based on the evidence from this review.Additionally, developers must comply with the building regulations which give priority to sustainable drainage systems in their hierarchy of arrangements for dealing with rainwater draining from roofs and pavings giving access to the building.

Combined Authorities: South East

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what functions are planned to become the responsibility of the proposed Solent combined authority; what estimate he has made of the costs of each of those functions in the next (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 30 years; and if he will publish all information that his Department holds on those proposed functions.

Andrew Percy: The proposals for a Solent Combined Authority have been developed by local leaders and partners in the Solent and leaders in the Solent have been undertaking a consultation to inform their proposals and gather the views of local people. Following that it will be for the local authorities to decide if they wish to propose forming a Combined Authority.Ministers and officials have held discussions with Solent partners on what additional powers and funding could be devolved to the local area, as we have with local areas up and down the country. These discussions have not as yet reached a conclusion although I expect that if a Solent Combined Authority is proposed to government a devolution deal could be rapidly concluded.

Solar Power: Non-domestic Rates

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of planned business rates rises on existing commercial solar rooftop projects where the majority of power is consumed onsite.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Export Controls

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will conduct an assessment on the potential effect on the manufacturing sector in Britain of reverting back to World Trade Organisation terms for exports.

Mr Nick Hurd: There has been no decision on the future terms of trade for the UK. In preparation for negotiations to leave the EU, the Government is undertaking work across a range of areas, including market access, across all sectors.

ARM: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that ARM's headquarters remain in Cambridge.

Margot James: SoftBank has made a legally-binding undertaking to maintain ARM’s headquarters in Cambridge. The undertaking is enforceable by the Takeover Panel for five years.

Qualifications: EEA Nationals

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy that the UK will continue after the UK leaves the EU to recognise the professional qualifications of all people with professional qualifications from other European Economic Area member states whose qualifications are currently recognised and who are currently registered to provide professional services in the UK.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the Government continuing to recognise professional qualifications obtained by citizens and residents of member states of the European Economic Area and members of their families from institutions (a) in other European Economic Area countries and (b) outside the European Economic Area under the same terms as now obtained when the UK leaves the EU.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the European Communities (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2007 remaining in effect in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Department is working with industry organisations and interests across Government. This input will inform the Government’s approach as we shape our future relationship with Europe.

Electric Cables

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of new transmission cables have been undergrounded in each of the last 10 years.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold this information. However, the Transmission Owners have informed me that:In England & Wales, the only major new electricity transmission lines built in the last 10 years by National Grid are all in the London Power Tunnels Project. This involved 32km of tunnels and 64 circuit kms installed from 2011 to February 2016. Otherwise, major projects have been asset replacement projects. These have generally been like-for-like, in that overhead line components have replaced older overhead line components, and underground cables have replaced underground cables.In the north of Scotland, of SHE Transmission’s total new circuits in the last 10 years (1,007km), 171km of these were underground cable (approx. 17%).In the south of Scotland, of Scottish Power Transmission’s total new circuits in the last 10 years (184km), 107.5km of these were underground cable (approx. 58%).

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the existing plans for the development of Hinkley C set out whether (a) the Government or (b) EDF will be financially and legally responsible for the safe storage of nuclear waste if that project goes ahead.

Jesse Norman: Government policy is that operators of new nuclear power stations will be financially and legally responsible for the storage and disposal of the radioactive waste and spent fuel produced by those power stations.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of car manufacturers who have construction plants in the UK about expanding their operations in this country.

Mr Nick Hurd: The automotive sector is of vital importance to the UK. In 2015, car production hit a ten year high at almost 1.6 million units adding £14.6 billion of Gross Value Added to the UK economy. We are in regular dialogue with companies in the sector on a range of issues and work in partnership with the Automotive Council on an Automotive Industrial Strategy to deliver sustainable growth in the sector.

Qualifications: EU Law

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on retaining the EU's professional qualifications directive after the UK has left the EU.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with industry organisations and interests across Government. This input will inform our the Government’s approach as we shape our future relationship with Europe.

Electronic Commerce

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on future collaboration with the EU on consumer protections in relation to e-commerce; if he will make it his policy to ensure UK consumers who access e-commerce firms located in the EU single market continue to be offered the protections currently provided by the Directive on Consumer Rights of 25 October 2011 (2011/83/EC).

Margot James: We are yet to begin our negotiations to withdraw from the European Union and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the UK.

Sellafield: Safety

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd on safety performance at Sellafield.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



On 31 August 2016, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property, together with my rt. hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, met with members of the senior teams from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Limited to discuss the challenges of decommissioning the Sellafield site safely and securely. On 1 September 2016, they visited the Sellafield site to see first-hand the work that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is doing to manage the civil nuclear legacy safely, securely and responsibly, and saw a number of the resilience and emergency preparedness enhancements which have been made to the legacy ponds and silos.

Housing: Solar Power

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK energy use which will be from domestic solar production in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



We have not made a projection of domestic solar’s contribution to UK energy use.

Sellafield: Safety

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of compliance of operations at Sellafield with regulatory safety standards.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of safety standards set by the Office of Nuclear Regulation.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



They are answerable to an independent regulator – the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), which sets the standards by which the UK nuclear industry must operate.We have a strong regulatory system across all nuclear operators in the UK. The ONR operates in line with international standards and the requirements set by the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA).The ONR operates transparently and provides its assessment of standards at nuclear sites in its Annual Report and Accounts, which is laid in Parliament every year. In the latest report, the Chief Nuclear Inspector concluded that nuclear sites have satisfactorily achieved high standards of safety and security, thereby protecting the workforce and the public from harm.The ONR’s Annual Report and Account sets out in some detail the ONR’s regulatory strategy at Sellafield, which is designed to enable Sellafield Limited to deliver its remediation programmes to reduce hazard and risk on the site, with a particular focus on accelerating safe and secure retrievals from the legacy ponds and silos. The ONR reports that this strategy is helping to secure “evidence-based confidence that the licensee is complying with its statutory obligations and that workers and the public are protected from the hazards of the site”.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a breakdown of the costs incurred in the creation of his Department.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Erasmus+ Programme

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many British students have studied at universities in other European countries as part of the Erasmus programme in each of the last six years; and how many of those students were from Croydon.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Organs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Chinese government on banning organ tourism to China.

Alok Sharma: As My Rt Hon. Friend, the former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hugo Swire, stated to the house on the 12 July 2016, we have raised concerns about reports of organ harvesting, as well as about the torture and mistreatment of detainees, during the annual UK-China human rights dialogue. We will do so again at the next round. My officials also raised the issue with their Chinese counterparts on 1 September 2016.However, despite the fact that UK physicians always advise patients against, it is very difficult to prevent UK citizens travelling to less well-regulated countries to seek an organ transplant. Although numbers are not known, it is thought that very few patients in the UK choose to do so.

South China Sea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Chinese government on disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Alok Sharma: We raise our concerns about maritime tensions in the South China Sea regularly in bilateral meetings with China, including at Ministerial level. The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed the South China Sea directly with his Chinese counterpart a number of times this year, for instance during his visits to Beijing in January and April, emphasising the importance of compliance with international law and the need to settle disputes by peaceful means. We have also made our views known to China and other claimants through supporting public statements on the issue by the G7 and the European Union.

Libya: Islamic State

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the international community is taking to prevent Daesh fighters in Libya fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is vital that the international community is relentless in its efforts to ensure Daesh and its affiliates are defeated wherever they arise, including tackling those fighters who may be retreating from Libya. We are coordinating closely with Egypt and Tunisia to share expertise on border security. More broadly, the UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of over 66 partners committed to defeating Daesh. The Global Coalition is committed to tackling the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters travelling to the region to join Daesh or travelling from Daesh-held territories to other countries. The Counter-Daesh Coalition Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighters, co-led by the Netherlands, Turkey and the United States, is working with Coalition partners to implement the obligations and recommendations in UN Security Council Resolution 2178 on 24 September 2014. This resolution requires countries to take steps to counter foreign terrorist fighters, to expand current obligations under international law, and to strengthen international measures that prevent suspected foreign terrorist fighters from travelling, disrupt financial support to foreign terrorist fighters, and further strengthen international and regional co-operation mechanisms.

Libya: Islamic State

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of Daesh in Libya after its defeat in Sirte.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Daesh are under significant pressure in Sirte. I welcome the positive steps the Libyan people are taking to remove Daesh from their country, including Prime Minister Serraj’s recent request for precision airstrikes from the United States of America against Daesh. The defeat of Daesh in Libya will have a positive impact on the long term stability of Libya and the region. But other extremist groups, including those with links to Al Qaeda, remain a threat to the country and the region. It is important that the International Community fully supports the Government of National Accord in their efforts to bring all legitimate military and security forces under a unified command. This will help to restore stability, seal the defeat of Daesh and close the space in which the terrorists and criminal gangs are operating.It is vital that the international community is relentless in its efforts to ensure Daesh and its affiliates are defeated wherever they arise, including tackling those fighters who remain in Libya. The UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of over 66 partners committed to defeating Daesh. The Global Coalition is committed to tackling the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters travelling to the region to join Daesh or travelling from Daesh-held territories to other countries.It is also important to consider what comes after the defeat of Daesh, in areas that they control. We are working closely with the new Libyan government and international partners to develop a comprehensive approach to stabilisation and post-conflict reconstruction, including through the £10m UK CSSF allocation.

Human Rights

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports of alleged breaches of international humanitarian law he has received from (a) UN agencies, (b) non-governmental organisations, (c) other governments, (d) UK armed forces personnel and (e) Saudi Arabia in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 13 September 2016



We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. The Ministry of Defence monitors incidents of alleged IHL violations using available information. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been violated.

Iran: Human Rights

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to expand the list of Iranians responsible for human rights violations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of employing nationals of other EU member states in his Department.

Mr David Jones: There has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK, or of British citizens in the EU, as a result of the referendum. The Department for Exiting the European Union is assessing the skills needed for the department, the right security protocols, and relative merits of potential employees in line with usual practice.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish a breakdown of the costs incurred in the creation of his Department.

Mr David Jones: The new Department for Exiting the European Union is properly resourced. Detailed work is underway to establish the final budget required and this will be voted on and published as part of the Supplementary Estimate process.

Attorney General

Criminal Proceedings: Witnesses

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what advice is given to prosecutors about the appropriateness of applying for a witness summons in a criminal case; whether there are (a) indicators and (b) factors that would make it more or less appropriate to apply for such a summons; and what evidence prosecutors are advised to pass on to the court to enable the court to decide whether a witness summons is appropriate.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will only apply for a witness summons in order to secure the attendance of a witness where it is necessary and appropriate to do so.A witness summons application will be based on the specific facts of the case. Prosecutors will carefully consider whether a summons is in the public interest, taking proper account of any specific vulnerability, disability or mental health issues on the part of the witness. Prosecutors seek advice from the police, and any relevant specialist support services, to assist in assessing the appropriateness of such an application to ensure that the witness and any dependents will not be endangered by the decision nor caused any unnecessary distress.A prosecutor will submit to the Court all relevant information including any medical report, risk assessment or advice from police or specialist support services.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases involving female perpetrators of domestic violence have been prosecuted in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of people prosecuted in those cases were found guilty.

Robert Buckland: The volumes and proportions of female defendants prosecuted for domestic abuse in each of the last 10 years, together with the conviction rates, can be found within the table at Annex A.



Annex A
(PDF Document, 63.76 KB)

Courts: ICT

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to ensure that courts receive the latest Police National Computer details for defendants when cases are being dealt with electronically.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provides an electronic copy of the Police National Computer (PNC) details for defendants to the court and defence as part of their initial disclosure of the prosecution case. Any subsequent updated versions of the defendant’s PNC received during the course of the case are provided to the CPS by the police, either at their instigation or at the request of the CPS, for use at court.

Arrests

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the average time from arrest to charge in each category of offence was in the latest year for which information is available.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold this information. Individual police forces may report on average arrest to charge statistics but this information is not held by the CPS. Furthermore, many cases are charged by the police directly or by other bodies, and never come to the CPS.

Department for International Development

Malawi: Food Supply

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle food insecurity in Malawi.

James Wharton: Malawi is facing its worst food crises since independence. The UK’s commitment to Malawi will help feed and sustain over a quarter of a million vulnerable people and treat 150,000 children and vulnerable adults suffering from malnutrition. We are preparing further support to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases. We are urging our international partners to further scale-up their response now, as we continue to work with the Government of Malawi at the policy level to break the cycle of recurring humanitarian crises.

Overseas Aid

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure value for money in its aid budget.

Priti Patel: My predecessors in Government have made huge progress in improving British aid by creating an independent aid watchdog, introducing much tougher value-for-money controls and making DFID’s spending even more transparent.

Syria: Refugees

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress she is making on ensuring that Syrian refugee children in that region receive an education; and what her plans are to follow up the outcomes of the London Conference in February 2016 at the next UN General Assembly meeting.

Rory Stewart: DFID helped launch and has committed £285 million to the No Lost Generation Initiative. This will provide education opportunities for an estimated 1.4 million Syrian refugee children allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and perform well in public school examinations in the foundational subjects of Arabic, English, Maths and Science.The Secretary of State for International Development will co-host an event at the UN General Assembly in which Conference co-hosts, top donors and refugee-hosting countries will review the overall progress against the commitments. The event aims to agree on how donors and host countries can improve and hasten education provision and quality for refugee children, and job opportunities; and review the evolving situation inside Syria, with particular reference to humanitarian access and protection.

Overseas Aid

James Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure value for money in its aid budget.

Priti Patel: My predecessors in Government have made huge progress in improving British aid by creating an independent aid watchdog, introducing much tougher value-for-money controls and making DFID’s spending even more transparent.

Exchange Rates: Sterling

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes in the relative value of the pound on her Department's finances.

Rory Stewart: We have conducted an assessment of the effects of recent changes, and our conclusion is that the impact is relatively limited, for 3 reasons:fluctuations are not new;almost all of our payments are in pounds, so fluctuations do not directly impact departmental finances; andthe partners we work with are carefully selected to make sure they have robust financial mechanisms in place, to deal with currency fluctuations and other risks.

Department for Education

Primary Education: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many key stage 1 children in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were in classes of more than (i) 30 and (ii) 35 children in the academic year beginning September 2015.

Nick Gibb: I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given in PQ 41627 on 6 July 2016.

Primary Education: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary school places, (b) primary school age pupils on the roll, (c) pupils in excess of school capacity and (d) unfilled primary school places there were in Nottinghamshire in academic year 2014-15.

Edward Timpson: The department collects information from each local authority on the number of schools, the number of places in those schools and the number of pupils on roll through the annual school capacity survey (SCAP). The data is published annually. Data for May 2015 (relating to academic year 2014/15) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2014-to-2015  As at May 2015, in Nottinghamshire there were:a) 67,152 primary school placesb) 61,897 primary school age pupils on rollc) 897 primary pupils in excess of school capacityd) 6,152 unfilled primary school places. School capacities are as reported by local authorities for all school types, based on their knowledge of each school.

Apprentices: Finance

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when funding bands for apprenticeships starting after April 2017 will be published.

Robert Halfon: Details of proposed funding bands for existing apprenticeship frameworks and standards were published on 12 August: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-proposals-for-funding-from-may-2017. The proposals were supported by a short employer survey which closed on 5 September. We aim to publish final funding bands for apprenticeship frameworks and standards in October for those that start on or after 1 May 2017.

English Language: Education

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual funding from the public purse is for English Speakers of Other Languages schemes.

Robert Halfon: Funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages is not ring-fenced but forms part of the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Providers will use their AEB allocation to put on appropriate provision based on their judgement of the economic and social needs of their local area. We expect that this will include ESOL where there is significant demand. In addition, the Government has pledged up to £10 million over five years for a jointly funded DfE and Home Office programme to enable Syrian refugees across the UK to access language tuition and integrate into British society.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential effect of Skills Funding Agency proposals to reduce 16-18 apprenticeship funding on the finances of apprenticeship providers.

Robert Halfon: The aim for an employer-led system has been clear for some time. Our 2020 Vision Document published in December 2014 made clear the need for providers to respond to employer demand. With the introduction of the apprenticeships levy, employers will directly purchase their own apprenticeship training - choosing the apprenticeship training they want to purchase and negotiating on price. This means we have to simplify the funding system to encourage employers to recruit more apprentices of all ages and from all backgrounds, including young people. As a result of the levy we will be investing £2.5 billion in apprenticeships; that’s double what was spent on apprenticeships in 2010-11. Our funding proposals will introduce a simpler pricing system with a maximum cost for each type of apprenticeship, regardless of age or location. We do not want to dis-incentivise employers from taking on young apprentices so we’re evening out the costs of each apprenticeship, and employers won't have to pay more to give a 16 to 18-year-old their first step on the career ladder. We are also progressively withdrawing frameworks as standards become available so the funding difference for frameworks is a transitional issue. We are also proposing to give employers and training providers an extra £1,000 each for every 16-18 year old apprentice they take on. Providers will need to adapt but we’re making sure there is more money going in overall. We’ve published these proposals well in advance of the new system coming in so that providers have time to prepare. The new funding model will only apply to new apprenticeship starts after May 2017, so providers will continue to benefit from stability in funding for apprentices already in the system. The current survey on the draft proposals concluded on 5th September, and feedback will inform the final policy which we aim to publish in October.

Universities: European Investment Bank

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK's vote to leave the EU on the relationship between the European Investment Bank and UK universities.

Joseph Johnson: The UK is and continues to be a shareholder of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the EIB has publically stated that its engagement in the UK is unchanged. All existing loan contracts signed between UK promoters and the EIB remain in force, and the EIB has continued to sign and approve new projects since the EU referendum.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial resources are available to schools from (a) her Department and (b) local authorities for the installation of automatic fire sprinklers.

Edward Timpson: The Government will invest £23 billion in the school estate over this Parliament to create additional places and for essential maintenance, rebuilding and refurbishment. Within this, there is no ring-fenced funding dedicated to the installation of sprinklers in schools, but where it is concluded that sprinklers must be fitted to protect property or keep children safe, they will be. Their cost will be included in the overall funding for the project.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with HM Treasury on the potential to fully fund apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds from savings accrued as a result of the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy.

Robert Halfon: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



The department and HM Treasury have worked closely together on the development of the apprenticeships funding policy and plans for implementation of the Levy, including the digital apprenticeship service. Our proposals for how apprenticeships will be paid for in England in the future will simplify the current complex funding system by introducing a single funding cap for individual apprenticeship framework pathways, regardless of the age of the learner or geographic location. We expect the proposals will also include incentives for employers taking on younger apprentices - funding 100 per cent of apprenticeship training costs for small employers (with fewer than 50 staff) that don’t pay the levy when they employ 16-18 year old apprentices; and providing a £1,000 cash payment to both the employer and training provider to help with the extra costs of supporting apprentices in this age group.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on safety of buildings on pupils of removing the expectation from guidance that most new schools should have automatic fire sprinkler systems fitted.

Edward Timpson: The Department has recently consulted stakeholders on proposed revisions to fire safety guidance, which seek to clarify when sprinklers will be fitted in schools. We are not changing the rules on fire safety. It has never been compulsory for sprinklers to be fitted in schools. All new schools must comply with building and fire safety regulations. Where it is concluded that sprinklers must be fitted to protect property or keep children safe, they will be. We are actively considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Education Funding Agency: Staff

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the contract of employment of the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency expires.

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the contract of employment of the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency is due to expire.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



The Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency has a permanent contract of employment, i.e. there is no set end date and the contract will continue until either party decides to end it.

Home Education

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils on the National Schools Database are not assigned to a specific school or registered for home tuition.

Edward Timpson: The information requested is not held centrally.We do not recognise the term ‘National Schools Database’ but interpret it to mean one of two things:The database for schools, Edubase, is a register of educational establishments in England and Wales, maintained by the Department for Education. It provides information on establishments providing compulsory, higher and further education. It provides information about the establishments (e.g headteacher details), but nothing related to individual children.The National Pupil Database contains detailed information about pupils in schools and colleges in England and includes information about pupils’ characteristics, such as: gender, ethnicity, first language, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs (SEN), pupil absence and exclusions. It only contains data about pupils registered at schools. Therefore children not attached to schools/colleges or an alternative provision institution are not covered.The welfare of children unassigned to maintained schools or home educated is a Local Authority responsibility.

Central Sussex College

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from the Coast to Capital LEP and West Sussex County Council on the Central Sussex College in (a) Haywards Heath and (b) Crawley.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the future of the Central Sussex College in Haywards Heath.

Robert Halfon: The Post 16 education and training area review of Sussex, which involved both the Coast to Capital LEP and West Sussex County Council, as well as all the colleges in Sussex, was undertaken earlier this year and a report of the review is expected to be published shortly. As part of the review, Coast to Capital LEP indicated the need to maintain further education in Crawley and arrangements are being taken forward to ensure that this need is met. We are also working with West Sussex County Council to establish the future use of the Haywards Heath campus, following the Central Sussex College’s announcement to withdraw from this campus in April 2016.

Ministry of Justice

Rented Housing: Evictions

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of eviction possession hearings that took place in respect of (a) private and (b) social landlords in the last year for which data is available.

Sir Oliver Heald: The number of possession hearings that took place in respect of (a) private and (b) social landlords are available on GOV.UK using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2016

Debt Collection

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what restrictions the Government has put in place to prevent threatening and intimidating behaviour on the part of bailiffs.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government is clear that aggressive enforcement action is not acceptable. In April 2014 reforms were introduced to protect people from threatening and intimidating behaviour by enforcement agents. The reforms introduced, amongst other things, safeguards to prevent the use of force against debtors, mandatory training and a certification process for enforcement agents to ensure that they are the right people for the job.

Bill of Rights

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that any future UK Bill of Rights covers all of the UK.

Sir Oliver Heald: We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course.

Care and Management of Transgender Offenders Review

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Written Statement WS368 of 8 December 2015, when the review into the care and management of transgender offenders will be published.

Dr Phillip Lee: The review into the care and management of transgender prisoners will be published shortly.

Rape: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the conviction rate for rape involving (a) female and (b) male victims was in each of the last five years.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested is available on gov.uk using the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

Offenders: Personal Income

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has to facilitate financial checks on means forms filled out by offenders in criminal courts.

Sir Oliver Heald: Anyone facing criminal charges at court is eligible for legal aid, subject to a statutory means test. This ensures more affluent defendants make contributions towards their legal aid costs.The information declared by defendants can be verified by cross-referencing data with other government departments, undertaking checks with credit reference agencies and employers and making requests for supporting documentation.If the declaration is found to be untrue, we will reassess the defendant’s means and, if necessary, revise the contribution or potentially withdraw legal aid. If we suspect or detect fraudulent activity, we would refer to our special investigations unit who will, if necessary, prosecute and seek to recover costs from applicants.

Suspended Sentences: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of suspended sentences that one person had without receiving a prison sentence for committing a further offence during the operational period of those sentences was in a (a) magistrates' court and (b) Crown court in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not available.

Pornography: Internet

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each sex have been (a) cautioned, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted of an offence under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 for disclosing private sexual photographs or films with intent to cause distress.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested is available on gov.uk using the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has contingency plans for financial failure of community rehabilitation centres.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Contingency plans have been prepared in case alternative arrangements are needed.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Fraud Review

Deidre  Brock: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what response the Electoral Commission has made to paragraphs 214 to 226 of the Report entitled, Securing the ballot, Report of Sir Eric Pickles' review into electoral fraud, published in August 2016.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission welcomed the publication of Sir Eric Pickles' review into electoral fraud and is now carefully considering the detail of its recommendations. The Commission has noted that the review supports a number of its own longstanding recommendations, including its call for voter ID, first put forward in 2014.The Commission is an independent statutory body which reports and is accountable to the UK and Scottish Parliaments. It will publish a full response to Sir Eric’s review in due course and a copy will be placed in the House Library.

Ministry of Defence

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many sorties flown by RAF aircraft engaged on Operation SHADER in Syria and Iraq have (a) Brimstone missiles, (b) Hellfire missiles and (c) Paveway guided bombs been released; and how many of each such weapon type have been released in Syria and Iraq to date as part of Operation SHADER.

Mike Penning: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 08 September 2016.The correct answer should have been:

It is difficult to correlate the number of sorties and weapon types utilised as one sortie can often constitute multiple weapons releases, possibly of different munition types. The following table details the total number of sorties, and those with weapons released, as of 25 August 2016. All UK strikes, in support of the Coalition, are undertaken as part of a rigorous targeting process, which assesses the situation before, during and after a strike to ensure adherence to the Law of Armed Conflict. It should be noted that frequently sorties will be flown in Syria with weapons released that may also have had weapons released in Iraq. AircraftSorties FlownSorties Flown with Weapons ReleasedIraqSyria[1]IraqSyriaTyphoon8598230313Tornado2,37029850637Reaper1,50354723429 AircraftSorties FlownSorties Flown with Weapons Released IraqSyria[1]IraqSyria Typhoon8598230313 Tornado2,37029850637 Reaper1,50354723429 Sorties can be conducted without weapons releases for multiple reasons, varying from the provision of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in order to support forces on the ground, to development of future striking opportunities.   The number of each weapon type released is as follows: AircraftWeapon Type ReleasedLocation of Release  IraqSyriaFGR4 TyphoonPaveway[2]55138GR4 TornadoDMS Brimstone18523GR4 TornadoPaveway[2]68563MQ9 ReaperHellfire42345 [1] All Syrian sorties will have originated in Iraqi airspace.[2] Includes all variants of Paveway munitions.

Mike Penning: It is difficult to correlate the number of sorties and weapon types utilised as one sortie can often constitute multiple weapons releases, possibly of different munition types. The following table details the total number of sorties, and those with weapons released, as of 25 August 2016. All UK strikes, in support of the Coalition, are undertaken as part of a rigorous targeting process, which assesses the situation before, during and after a strike to ensure adherence to the Law of Armed Conflict. It should be noted that frequently sorties will be flown in Syria with weapons released that may also have had weapons released in Iraq. AircraftSorties FlownSorties Flown with Weapons ReleasedIraqSyria[1]IraqSyriaTyphoon8598230313Tornado2,37029850637Reaper1,50354723429 AircraftSorties FlownSorties Flown with Weapons Released IraqSyria[1]IraqSyria Typhoon8598230313 Tornado2,37029850637 Reaper1,50354723429 Sorties can be conducted without weapons releases for multiple reasons, varying from the provision of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in order to support forces on the ground, to development of future striking opportunities.   The number of each weapon type released is as follows: AircraftWeapon Type ReleasedLocation of Release  IraqSyriaFGR4 TyphoonPaveway[2]55138GR4 TornadoDMS Brimstone18523GR4 TornadoPaveway[2]68563MQ9 ReaperHellfire42345 [1] All Syrian sorties will have originated in Iraqi airspace.[2] Includes all variants of Paveway munitions.

Ministry of Defence Police: Housing

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's policy is on members of the Service Police residing in separate living accommodation to other members of the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: There is no Government policy concerning living accommodation for the Service Police.

Ministry of Defence Police

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to introduce independent oversight of the Service Police.

Mark Lancaster: The Service Police are already subject to independent oversight by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabularies and their reports are placed in the public domain. We also remain committed to the introduction of independent oversight of complaints made against the Service Police and work continues in order to identify the most appropriate means of achieving that.

Public Lavatories: Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the exclusion of sexual assault, voyeurism, exposure and sexual activity in a public lavatory from the schedule of offences that are subject to the mandatory referrals process on the ability of victims to report such acts.

Mark Lancaster: A person who believes they have been a victim of crime may report the matter to the Service or civilian Police, or to their chain of command. Commanding Officers are under a statutory duty to ensure that all allegations which indicate that a service offence may have been committed - including the offences of sexual assault, voyeurism, exposure and sexual activity in a public lavatory - are properly investigated. The Ministry of Defence has undertaken to review the existing provisions whereby Commanding Officers can decide how best to investigate those allegations of sexual offences which do not fall to be automatically referred to the Police. We expect the review to be complete by the end of the year.

Armed Forces: Help to Buy Scheme

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many forces personnel, by rank, have purchased a property under the Help to Buy scheme.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held in the format requested.However, the latest monthly figures for The Forces Help to Buy Scheme are published at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546417/20160818-FHTB_Official_Stats_July.pdf

Defence: Procurement

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to ensure prompt payments by companies in receipt of defence contracts.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to paying all of its suppliers promptly, and we place a contractual obligation on our prime contractors to pay their subcontractors within a 30 day period.MOD payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministry-of-defence-supplier-invoicing-and-payment-information.This shows that during the first quarter of 2016-17, the MOD paid 96.5% of its invoices within five days and 99.9% within 30 days.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: EU Nationals

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many citizens of EU countries other than the UK work in (a) his Department and (b) agencies and other bodies for which his Department is responsible.

Kris Hopkins: My Department does not hold this information and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. My department has two executive non-departmental public bodies – the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body – the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As these bodies are independent of Government, the hon Member may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters – contact details are set out below: ALBStatusContact DetailsParades Commission for Northern IrelandExecutive NDPB[emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */Northern Ireland Human Rights CommissionExecutive NDPB[emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */Boundary Commission for Northern IrelandAdvisory NDPB[emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Voluntary Work: Young People

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making first aid a compulsory module of the National Citizen Service.

Mr Rob Wilson: Many local NCS delivery partners already choose to deliver first aid modules to participants. The NCS Trust, the independent organisation that delivers NCS, works closely with specialist first aid providers to design this training. Many NCS participants also visit local fire stations and emergency departments to gain an understanding of the work of Community Emergency Response Teams in their area. The NCS Trust is running a series of curriculum pilots during the 2016 summer and autumn programmes. One of these pilots focuses on a first aid module. The findings of the pilots will be fed into next year's NCS programmes.

Football: Homelessness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she was aware of the Homeless World Cup taking place; and what discussions her Department has had with the organisers of that event.

Tracey Crouch: The Homeless World Cup is an excellent example of how sport can transform the lives of homeless people all over the country, and we particularly championed the role of Pride House in creating spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people to engage with and celebrate the event. As outlined in our Sport Strategy, the Government recognises the power of engaging in sport and wants to encourage more people from every background to regularly take part in sport.

Telecommunications

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises are connected to exchange activated telephone exchanges; and if she will make funds available to upgrade such exchanges.

Matt Hancock: The information requested in not available. £121.73m has been made available by the UK Government to fund the roll out of superfast broadband in Scotland.

Video on Demand: Disability

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent review her Department has made of the regulatory framework for the provision of subtitles for on-demand services.

Matt Hancock: In 2015 the then regulator for video on demand services, the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD), published its Provision of Video on Demand Access Services Report. The Department analysed the findings of this report, and met with platform operators, content providers and broadcasters to review the provision of such services. The Department has asked broadcasters, content providers and platform operators for a progress update in Spring 2017. Ofcom is the regulator with responsibility for on-demand programme services (ODPS). Ofcom are presently consulting on how to improve access services and ensure that providers see broadcast and ODPS accessibility as equally important.

Broadband

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK premises has access to ultrafast broadband; and what steps she is taking to increase the number of such properties.

Matt Hancock: There is no agreed definition of ultrafast broadband. According to the independent broadband information website thinkbroadband.com - who define ultrafast as download speeds of more than 100mbps - approximately 50% of UK premises have access to ultrafast broadband. Virgin Media have announced plans to extend their coverage by up to 4 million premises by 2019 through their Project Lightning roll-out. This roll-out has funding support from the UK Guarantee Scheme which has been put in place the government. BT also plan to make available ultrafast speeds to 10 million premises by 2020. Smaller providers, such as CityFibre, Gigaclear and Hyperoptic, are also investing to provide ultrafast services.

Nuisance Calls

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of nuisance calls.

Matt Hancock: I refer the honourable member to my response to PQ 44827, answered on 12th September.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the implementation of Part 2 of the Leveson inquiry.

Matt Hancock: Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry, including the appeals process, have not yet completed. We‎ have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.

British Telecom

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the implementation of Ofcom's recommendations related to BT and Openreach.

Matt Hancock: It is for Ofcom to implement its recommendations for the relationship between BT Group and Openreach. Nine out of ten homes and businesses now have access to superfast broadband, but our goal is to make sure the UK builds the right infrastructure to maintain our position as a world leading digital nation. We welcome Ofcom’s determination to tackle these issues. We are clear that a more independent Openreach is needed to benefit consumers and the UK’s digital infrastructure. Swift and clear action is needed to give certainty to consumers, industry and investors in the UK’s broadband infrastructure and to deliver rapid improvements in the level of investment and service.

Home Office

Refugees: Greece

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to Greece to ensure that refugees have access to clear information on the Dublin III regulation and its family unity provisions in a language they can understand; and what steps expert personnel deployed to Greece in May 2016 are taking to ensure that detailed and coherent information is provided to refugees who are in accommodation sites across mainland Greece.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 05 September 2016



Home Office staff seconded to the Greek Government and the European Asylum Support Office are there to support the overall asylum system in Greece and improve the Dublin process. Two applicants have arrived in the UK since May 2016.Providing refugees with access to clear, detailed and coherent information is the responsibility of the Greek authorities. The UK believes that member states should meet their international obligations and provide due process and adequate care to those seeking protection within their territories.The Commission Implementing Regulation No 118/2014 clearly sets out the obligations for Member States to provide an information leaflet for applicants for international protection, including a specific leaflet for unaccompanied children.Following the EU-Turkey agreement and discussions with the European Commission and the Greek Government, the UK has offered a further 75 expert personnel to help with the processing and administration of migrants in reception centres, act as interpreters, provide medical support and bolster our existing team assisting the Commission to ensure effective and efficient coordination.

Hate Crime

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legislation on hate crime; and whether she has plans to review the suitability of such legislation for tackling such crimes.

Sarah Newton: The Government condemns all hate crimes and is committed to tackling these crimes in partnership with the communities affected.We have in place some of the strongest legislation to tackle hate crime in the world – this includes specific offences for racially and religiously aggravated activity and offences of the stirring up of hatred on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation.We also have stronger sentences for hate crime. We continue to carefully consider the recommendations from the Law Commission review into hate crime legislation. The Government has committed to taking action to improve our response to hate crime.This includes joint training between the police and Crown Prosecution staff to improve the way the police identify and investigate hate crime; building on the improvements to police recording of hate crime by working with the police to break down religious-based hate crime by religion; and working with victims and advocacy groups to improve victims confidence to come forward and report such crimes.The police are also improving their operational practices and recording. Last year, the College of Policing published Operational Guidance for officers responding to hate crime which comprehensively covers how to address all forms of hate crime.Hate crime statistics show number of crimes recorded by the police by force area. The decision as to how hate crime is resourced in individual forces is an operational matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner for that area. The latest police funding settlement represents a fair deal for the police and reinforces this Government’s commitment to protect the public. No Police and Crime Commissioner who maximised precept income is facing a reduction in cash funding this year.Police and Crime Commissioners are also responsible for commissioning local support services for victims of crime. The Ministry of Justice provides the Commissioner with a grant to enable services which best meet the needs of local victims of crime to be funded.The Home Office published a new hate crime action plan on 26 July 2016, which sets out Government action over the next four years to tackle hate crime. It includes:● new steps to boost reporting of hate crime and support victims;● new CPS guidance to prosecutors on racially aggravated crime;● a new £2.4 million fund for protective security measures at potentially vulnerable places of worship;● and additional funding to community organisations tackling hate crime.Nobody in this country should live in fear because of who they are and anyone who experiences hate crime should report it to the police, either in person at a police station, online through the True Vision website, or by phoning 101.

Social Networking

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that social media websites remove abusive and threatening posts.

Sarah Newton: We expect social media companies, and internet platforms, to have robust processes in place and to act promptly when abuse is reported; including acting quickly to removing inappropriate content, and where appropriate, suspending or terminating the accounts of those breaching the rules in place.We are working with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) to keep children and young people safe online. UKCCIS brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to help to keep children and young people safe online. UKCCIS is co-chaired by Ministers from Department for Education, Home Office and Department for Culture Media and Sport.In December 2015 we published guidance to encourage responsible practice from industry, and ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way.The Criminal Justice Act 2015 strengthened two existing communications offences: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 which can now be used to prosecute misuse of social media. The police now have longer to investigate either offence, and the maximum penalty for the former has been increased to two years imprisonment.

Anti-slavery Day

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has for her Department to acknowledge and celebrate Anti-Slavery Day 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October is an important opportunity to reflect on achievements to date in tackling this appalling crime and to continue to raise awareness of it. We have made good progress, but there is more to do. I will announce my plans in due course.

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance: Property

Byron Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle tax avoidance in the property market.

Jane Ellison: In 2013 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set up a dedicated Counter Avoidance Directorate, bringing together technical, policy and operational expertise from across the Department into one place, in order to concentrate their focus on tackling marketed tax avoidance schemes. HMRC has a team within the Counter Avoidance Directorate that focuses on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) avoidance. Budget 2013 contained a package of measures to tackle avoidance of SDLT. Since 2013 HMRC has settled over 4,000 enquires into this type of avoidance bringing in over £200 million additional tax.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to prevent increases in road tax evasion since the abolition of the car tax disc.

Jane Ellison: The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion. These range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of tools like Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel-clamping and the removal of untaxed vehicles. 98.6% of all motorists pay their VED correctly, and VED remains one of the taxes with the highest rates of compliance.

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to provide additional funding of £350 million per week to the NHS after the UK has left the EU.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury and the Government as a whole are determined to make a success of leaving the EU. The Government has committed to the NHS receiving £10 billion more per year by 2020-21, than it did in 2014-15. This is £2 billion more than the NHS asked for in its own 5 Year Forward View.

Cabinet Office

Income: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average income is per capita in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Rushcliffe constituency and (c) Nottinghamshire in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Average Income per Capita
(PDF Document, 65.58 KB)

Government Departments: Performance Appraisal

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of all government departments adopting the same practice of informal monthly performance reviews which has been implemented by the Valuation Office Agency.

Ben Gummer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on Wednesday 7 September 2016 to UIN: 44500.

Public Sector: Ethnic Groups

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has appointed a new head of unit to oversee the audit to tackle racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of staff he plans to recruit to oversee the audit to tackle racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Ben Gummer: Senior appointments to the new unit are currently being made from within the Civil Service. The size of the team will be determined over the coming weeks as the details of the work to undertake the Audit are completed.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department work in the Propriety and Ethics team.

Ben Gummer: Transparency data on Cabinet Office staffing can be found online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-as-at-31-march-2016

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department provide secretariat support to unpaid advisors.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unpaid advisers work in his Department.

Ben Gummer: There are no unpaid special advisers in the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Office: Correspondence

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43759, how the Propriety and Ethics Team performed on handling correspondence from hon. Members and Peers in 2015.

Ben Gummer: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 5 September 2016 to UIN: 43759.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Japan

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with the government of Japan on increasing trade links with that country.

Mark Garnier: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with the Japanese Ambassador to the United Kingdom on 6 September. A range of topics were discussed including the opportunities presented by the United Kingdom exiting the European Union to strengthen its role as a global leader for free trade, including its trade links with Japan.

Research: Facilities

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure that research facilities owned by companies whose headquarters are in other EU member states or which are based in such states remain in the UK.

Mark Garnier: The UK remains a great place to do business. Annual figures published by the Department for International Trade in August 2016 confirm that the UK remains the number one investment destination in Europe; and the top European destination for investment from emerging markets. The figures show that Britain has benefitted from record-breaking inward investment by foreign companies. Across the country, 2,213 inward investment projects were secured in 2015 to 2016, an 11% increase on the previous year.With our world-class research base, a highly skilled workforce, world-leading scientific capabilities and a competitive tax environment that includes R&D tax credits and Patent Box, we are determined that the UK should remain the best place in Europe to innovate, locate and grow a business. The UK is a global leader in science and innovation, winning 13 science Nobel Prizes since 2000 and with more Nobel Prizes per capita than US, France, Germany, Russia or Japan; it is ranked third in the Global Innovation Index and is home to 3 of the world’s top 10 universities. Following the vote to leave the EU, we remain determined to maintain the global competitiveness of the UK research base and business environment. To maintain confidence in the UK’s participation in EU funded research collaborations, the Government announced on 13th August, that HM Treasury will underwrite, for the life of the project, all competitively won EU research funding applied for before our departure from the EU.

Department for International Trade: Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish a breakdown of the costs incurred in the creation of his Department.

Greg Hands: There has been no expenditure incurred by the Department for International Trade to date beyond the legacy Departments’ Spending Review allocations.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bees: Neonicotinoids

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent research her Department has undertaken on the link between neonicotinoids and bee populations.

George Eustice: Defra has supported a range of research relevant to improving understanding of the effects of neonicotinoids and other pesticides on bees. Recent work includes the studies: quantifying the exposure of bumblebees to neonicotinoids and mixtures of pesticides (commenced 2013); interpreting pesticide residues in honeybees (published 2015); using radio-frequency identification devices to assess effects of pesticides on foraging bees (commenced 2013); and protection goals for bee colonies (commenced 2015).

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the badger cull.

George Eustice: The approach Defra takes to monitoring the effectiveness of the badger control policy, including the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice, together with value for money analyses can be found on gov.uk.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the devolution of the policy and administration of agricultural subsidies to the devolved administrations once the UK exits the Common Agricultural Policy.

George Eustice: Across the UK, agriculture will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under the Common Agricultural Policy until at least the end of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework in 2020, even if the UK leaves the EU before this point. The UK Government will be working closely with the devolved administrations as we work on future agriculture policy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to amend her Department's budget to meet additional workload arising from preparation for leaving the EU.

George Eustice: Defra is currently assessing our financial requirements for preparing to exit the European Union and once these have been identified we will be reviewing our budgets.

Clean Air Zones

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's announcement of 17 December 2015 on improving air quality in cities, what progress her Department has made on deciding what resources, funding and guidance will be made available to the five local authorities which are introducing clean air zones.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades and we are working at local, national and international levels to continue those improvements. The UK currently meets legal limits for almost all pollutants. The national air quality plan for NO2, published in December last year, combines targeted local and national measures, forming part of a wider approach that exploits new and clean technologies, such as electric and ultra-low emission vehicles. As part of the national plan we are requiring five cities to implement Clean Air Zones. The relevant cities are Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton.The Joint Air Quality Unit has been established to deliver the national plan and is working in close cooperation with local authorities. The unit will provide guidance and support to local authorities to implement the plan by producing a Clean Air Zone framework which will set out how zones should be implemented, ensuring consistency across English local authorities. This will allow businesses and individuals to make straightforward economic decisions about which vehicles to purchase, and how and when they use them. We will support local authorities to make improvements to air quality through a variety of measures, including the Air Quality Grant, a competitive fund supporting local action to improve air quality.We are also providing dedicated support for the five cities which are required to implement Clean Air Zones by funding local scoping studies. In addition, we will provide funding to help these local authorities implement the zones and, where necessary, support the implementation of additional measures.

Air Pollution: Monitoring

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding the Local Air Quality Management team in her Department awarded to local authorities for monitoring air quality in the last year.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra monitors, models and reports on air quality at a national level in accordance with the requirements of EU and international legislation. There are 272 air quality monitoring stations in Defra’s UK national monitoring networks. Local authorities in England fund and operate approximately 720 monitoring stations, of which 59 are affiliated to the Defra networks. Local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing local air quality, including decisions on local air quality monitoring. Their local knowledge and interaction with the communities that they serve mean that they know the issues on the ground in detail and the solutions that are best suited to local circumstances.In 2015/16, Defra’s air quality grant scheme awarded £0.5m to eight local authorities to support a range of air quality related projects, including installation of pollutant monitoring stations.

Flood Control: Agriculture

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of proposals to make funding to farmers after the UK has left the EU dependent on implementing measures against flooding.

George Eustice: Supporting our farmers and protecting the environment will form an important part of our exit from the EU. The Government is very clear this needs to be looked at carefully and we are looking forward to working with industry and the public to develop new proposals that support our agricultural industry as we leave the EU.

Animal Products: Trade

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work her Department is doing with other countries to prevent the (a) global trade in illegal hunting trophies and (b) trade and importation of illegal hunting trophies in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK remains committed to working with our international partners to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, including trade in illegal hunting trophies. This is why we have invested £13 million through our illegal wildlife trade Challenge Fund to support international projects, reduce global demand for illegal wildlife products, strengthen law enforcement and help rebuild affected communities. We have been a leading player in global efforts to date, hosting the ground-breaking London Conference in 2014 and supporting follow up conferences in Botswana in 2015 and Vietnam in 2016. Importing controls are implemented at an EU-wide level and the UK works with other EU Member States to agree a collective approach, ensuring that illegal hunting trophies are not imported into the UK. The UK has been actively involved in the development of a proposal for enhanced global rules on hunting trophies to be considered at the 17th Conference of CITES Parties, which takes place from 24 September to 5 October. The proposal aims to enhance existing guidelines to ensure that robust controls are in place to assess the sustainability of hunting on the population of the species in question.

Schools: Air Pollution

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to work with local authorities to install air pollution monitoring facilities outside primary and secondary schools in (a) London and (b) England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra monitors, models and reports air quality at a national level in accordance with the requirements of EU and international legislation. There are 272 monitoring stations in the UK national monitoring network, of which 21 are in Greater London and 83 in England. Local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing local air quality, including decisions on local air quality monitoring. Their local knowledge and interaction with the communities that they serve mean that they know the issues on the ground in detail and the solutions that are best suited to local circumstances.Defra provides guidance, including helpdesk advice to local authorities on the appropriate type of monitoring to install. Where local authorities conduct air quality monitoring, they are expected to site monitors in accordance with local and national priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure.

Department of Health

NHS Foundation Trusts: Disclosure of Information

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines his Department issues to NHS Foundation Trusts on the publication of board papers.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not issue guidelines on the publication of board papers to National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs).The NHS Foundation Trust Code of Governance from NHS Improvement provides best practice guidance to help FTs deliver effective corporate governance, contribute to better organisational performance and ultimately discharge their duties in the best interests of patients. There is no recommendation in relation to publication of board papers however FTs may outline their decisions for board papers in their constitutions.Provisions in the 2006 Act amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 require the board of directors of FTs to hold meetings in public, giving members and the wider public a direct understanding of the delivery of their healthcare services, and the opportunity to challenge and scrutinise decision making. The Act also requires directors to send their governors agendas for, and minutes of, their board meetings.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the feedback NHS England gave to the Coast, Humber and Vale footprint area on the first draft of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan which was submitted on 30 June 2016.

David Mowat: The Coast, Humber and Vale Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint area submitted their draft plans on 30 June, along with all STP footprint areas in England. Following this, conversations were held with each footprint area and a panel of National Health Service arm’s length body chief executives and Local Government Association representatives. These discussions were based around each footprint’s identified priorities, their key critical decisions and requests for support. Feedback was provided during these discussions to support the ongoing development of their plan. All local STP areas should now be having conversations with local people and stakeholders to shape the future of their local services – understanding what matters to them and explaining how services might be improved. All footprints will submit an updated plan in October, with further formal public engagement and consultation taking place from this point, as appropriate.

Mental Illness: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many finished admission episodes there were with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorder for patients aged 0 to 18 years in 2015-16.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: Provisional data provided by NHS Digital record the number of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of a mental and behavioural disorder where the patient age was between 0 and 18 years, for the year 2015-16 as: Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector YearFAEs2015-1612,231 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:Finished admission episodesAn FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.ICD-10 codes usedF00-F99: Mental and behavioural disordersProvisional dataThe data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final data set. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, ie November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected.

Mental Illness: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were admitted to adult inpatient mental health wards in 2015-16.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: The data for 2015-16 is not yet available.

Mental Illness: Police Custody

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children and (b) adults spent time in a police station as a place of safety due to their mental health condition in each year since 2010.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: The information available is shown in the tables. Data was not collected prior to 2011/12. Data for 2015/16 will be published by NHS Digital in October. In 2014, the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat set an expectation that the number of uses of police cells as a place of safety for people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 should reduce to below half that of 2011/12. That ambition was achieved on time in 2014/15, with a 54% reduction. Places of safety orders made where a Mental Health Act 1983 Section 136 detention was in a police station, England2011-128,6672012-137,7612013-146,0282014-153,996 Places of safety orders made where a Mental Health Act 1983 Section 136 detention was in a police station, England and the person detained was aged under 182011-122582012-132632013-142362014-15145 Source: 1. Data for 2011/12-2014/15, Inpatients Formally Detained in Hospitals Under the Mental Health Act 1983 and Patients Subject to Supervised Community Treatment, England, Health and Social Care Information Centre. Annual publication. 2015 edition: http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB18803

Mental Illness: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients aged 0 to 18 years attending accident and emergency departments in 2015-16 had a psychiatric condition.

Mr Philip Dunne: We do not collect the information in the form requested. People with psychiatric conditions may attend accident and emergency departments (A&E) because of the psychiatric condition, in which case the finished consultant episode will record a primary diagnosis (Diagnosis 1 in the table below). They may also attend A&E for some other reason. In such a case, the psychiatric condition may be included as a relevant diagnosis (Diagnosis 2-5 in the table below) or it may not be included at all. It is therefore not possible from the data available to NHS Digital to estimate how many patients attending A&E had a psychiatric condition. The table below shows the number of attendances in A&E for people aged 18 or under who were recorded as having at least one diagnosis which is a psychiatric condition. This is not necessarily the same as the number of patients as people may attend more than once in a given year. Attendances1 in accident and emergency departments for which one diagnosis was a psychiatric condition.YearTotalDiagnosis 1Diagnosis 2Diagnosis 3Diagnosis 4Diagnosis 52015-16 24,68422,0112,463187221Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital Diagnosis2 1 is primary diagnosis (ie the patient attends because of a psychiatric condition.) Others are for patients attending for some other reason but who were also diagnosed as having a mental health disorder.Provisional3 data from the Hospital Episode Statistics published by NHS Digital is given in the table.Notes:1) A&E Attendance"An attendance at an Emergency Care facility, which includes Type 1 & 2 - Consultant led A&E Departments with full resuscitation facilities, and Type 3 & 4, smaller walk in centres, out of hours and urgent care centres. These counts exclude attendances that were planned follow ups."2) A&E Diagnosis"Please note that the recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice. The diagnosis codes used are: 35 = Psychiatric conditions."3) Provisional data"The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final data set. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, ie November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected.”

General Practitioners: Mid Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish a timetable for the roll-out of the General Practice Resilience Programme to support GP practices in Mid Sussex constituency; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: The milestones for the General Practice Resilience Programme have been set nationally by NHS England and can be found in section 8 of the programme’s guidance document at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/gpfv/resilience/

NHS: Drugs

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reusing dispensed but unused returned drugs in the NHS.

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of offering unused returned drugs to developing countries.

David Mowat: In general, where a hospital pharmacy issues medicines to an individual patient and they remain within the hospital, either because they are not used or only partly used, the medicines would be returned to the pharmacy to check that they are suitable for re-use and returned to the pharmacy stock. The Government does not promote the re-use of medicines that have left the pharmacy and been returned to either hospital or community pharmacies by patients, as it is not possible to guarantee the quality of a returned medicine by physical inspection alone. The Government also does not recommend the donation of patient-returned medicines. This is in line with clear World Health Organization guidelines, which have been developed‎ in cooperation with major international agencies involved in humanitarian and developmental aid. The guidelines are available at: www.who.int/medicines/publications/med_donationsguide2011/en/

Health Services: Mid Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding there has been for (a) practice nurses, (b) physician assistants, (c) practice managers and (d) receptionists in Mid Sussex constituency in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: This information is not available centrally. General Practitioner (GP) practices are independent contractors. NHS England advises that it therefore does not hold detailed information on the staffing arrangements within individual practices. Each GP practice is responsible for managing services in a way that best meets the needs of patients. Practices are free to recruit the mix of clinical, managerial and administrative staff they feel is appropriate to provide the care and service required.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that women suffering from metastatic HER2 breast cancer receive (a) the Kadcyla form of Trastuzumab emtansine and (b) other required medication.

Mr Philip Dunne: Improving the availability and use of effective medicines for all cancers, including breast cancer, is a key priority. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that makes recommendations on whether selected drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of National Health Service resources. Commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments for the treatment of metastatic HER2 breast cancer recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of its final guidance being issued. NICE technology appraisal guidance, published in December 2015, does not recommend trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) for the treatment of HER2-positive, unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane. In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence. Trastuzumab emtansine continues to be available to patients in England through the Cancer Drugs Fund, subject to certain clinical criteria. The new arrangements for the Fund, which came into effect on 29 July 2016, will ensure that the most promising and innovative medicines get to patients as quickly as possible. In particular, NICE will issue draft guidance on new cancer drugs or significant new licence indications before they have received marketing approval in the United Kingdom. Any drug that receives a positive draft recommendation would then be funded from the point of licence.

Prescription Drugs

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of dispensed but unused prescription drugs.

David Mowat: Information is not held centrally on the annual cost or amount of dispensed but unused prescription drugs in the National Health Service. The Department commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London to carry out research to determine the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines in England. The report, Evaluation of the Scale, Causes and Costs of Waste Medicines, was published on 23 November 2010. This found that the gross cost of unused prescription medicines in primary and community care in the NHS in England in 2009 was £300 million a year and that up to £150 million of this was avoidable. NHS England is currently working with the Department and the NHS Business Services Authority to consider how value can best be obtained from the use of medicines, both in terms of patient outcomes and financial implications. This work, along with the medicines optimisation programme, will help ensure best value for both taxpayers and patients.

NHS: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 42381, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the immigration status of NHS employees from other EU countries when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department for Exiting the European Union is leading the United Kingdom’s negotiations to leave the European Union and establish the future relationship between the EU and the UK, working very closely with other departments to ensure the British public and business interests get the best possible deal when the UK leaves the EU. Arrangements have been made for the Department of Health and the Home Office to meet and discuss the health and social care EU workforce in the near future.

NHS: ICT

Mr Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has paid BT for the licensing, deployment and support of acute IT systems in the south of England.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information regarding payments made by National Health Service trusts to BT is not held centrally. The Department, to the end of financial year 2015-16, paid BT £0.5 billion in respect of services it delivered to acute and community and mental health trusts in the south of England under the BT Local Service Provider contract. This contract has now closed.

British Medical Association

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many meetings he has had with the BMA in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Secretary of State for Health has always made clear that he wishes to work with the British Medical Association to address Junior Doctors’ concerns. He has met with the BMA on 11 occasions between September 2015 and August 2016. The meetings were held on 10 September, 30 September (two separate meetings), 1 December, 28 April 2016, 12 May, 16 May, 26 May, 7 July, 28 July and 30 August.The meetings on 12 May and 16 May were part of contract negotiations.

Hospitals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals he has visited in each of the last 12 months.

David Mowat: The Secretary of State for Health has visited the following hospitals in the last 12 months. The Secretary of State for Health Mr Jeremy Hunt 9 September 2015 St Thomas Hospital, Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (FT)12 November 2015 St Thomas Hospital, Guys and St Thomas’ NHS FT07 December 2015 Wrightington Hospital- Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh Hospital NHS FT09 December 2015 University College London Hospital FT26 December 2015 Milford Hospital, Surrey29 January 2016 Kings College Hospital London NHS FT26 May 2016 Kings College Hospital London NHS FT10 June 2016 Medway Hospital NHS FT16 June 2016 Royal Lancaster Infirmary-University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT22 June 2016 Queen’s Medical Centre-Nottingham University Hospital FT23 June 2016 Queen’s Hospital-Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust23 June 2016 William Harvey Hospital-East Kent Hospitals University NHS FT27 July 2016 Yeovil District Hospital-Yeovil District Hospital NHS FT27 July 2016 Southmeade Hospital-North Bristol NHS Trust27 July 2016 Royal Bristol Infirmary-University of Bristol Hospitals NHS FT

NHS: Working Hours

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the effect of the vote to leave the EU on his policy to provide full seven-day NHS services.

David Mowat: None.

Multiple Sclerosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis aged (a) 0-10, (b) 11-20, (c) 21-40, (d) 41-60, and (e) 61+ years old in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that multiple sclerosis affects approximately 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Eyesight: Testing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with opticians' associations on opticians spotting illness when carrying out eyesight checks.

David Mowat: There have been no specific discussions on this with opticians’ associations. Regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss and provide a health check for eyes that can pick up early signs of eye conditions.Under the Sight Testing (Examination and Prescription) (No.2) Regulations 1989, when a doctor or optometrist carries out a sight test, they have a legal duty to perform such examinations that are necessary to detect signs of injury, disease or abnormality and to refer the patient for further investigation if necessary. They will also carry out tests to determine if the patient requires an optical appliance to correct a defect in sight.These requirements apply to all sight tests, whether provided on the National Health Service or privately.The General Optical Council (GOC) is the regulatory body for optometrists who carry out sight tests and any concern about the quality of sight tests can be raised directly with the GOC.

Palivizumab

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2016 to Question 22462 and 28 June 2016 to Question 40748, when NHS England plans to publish findings from its review of individual funding requests for palivizumab; whether that review will include details of the number of individual funding requests submitted, accepted and declined; and what the reason is for the time taken to publish the findings from that review.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England has advised that, due to issues with patient identifiable information, it has not been possible to analyse the information on individual funding requests (IFRs) for palivizumab in detail at this stage. However, NHS England has advised that 57 IFR requests were received between August 2015 and January 2016 and that 11 (19%) were approved and 16 (28%) were rejected as they were outside the age range criteria. The remaining 30 were declined for a range of conditions that are not normally associated with respiratory syncytial virus. NHS England has issued a circular to its specialised commissioning teams and to providers of neonatal services, congenital heart services and specialised respiratory services outlining its 2016 commissioning position.

Sepsis: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people by age have been diagnosed with sepsis in the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Public Health England does not hold data in the format requested. The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is able to provide a count of the number of Finished Discharge Episodes (FDEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of sepsis, split by age band for providers in England for the years between 2010-11 and 2014-15. Information is not held centrally on patients diagnosed in the primary care setting. Table 1: A count of the number of FDEs with a primary or secondary diagnosis of sepsis, by age band for providers in England for the years between 2010-11 and 2014-15.Age Bands2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-150-418,41720,08022,91523,84026,7255-95776487908531,01010-1444641552346163515-198147789269801,09420-241,2201,2461,4901,7701,89925-291,3731,4991,8432,0322,47830-341,5101,7012,1422,5402,92435-391,6971,8492,2302,3192,60140-442,2132,4032,7112,9883,22345-492,7753,1233,6613,9374,38550-543,4623,8904,4594,9425,70255-594,1304,8295,6946,1156,82660-646,1626,8357,5927,8938,70665-696,6247,7909,61910,80512,07970-747,7668,6679,62310,45812,06675-798,9559,81510,65411,79313,86280-849,42710,07911,00911,58413,78985-898,3408,7569,0889,73911,87690+5,5536,0546,7407,1569,173Unknown420558576617719Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:Finished Discharge Episode - A discharge episode is the last episode during a hospital stay (a spell), where the patient is discharged from the hospital or transferred to another hospital. Discharges do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one discharge from hospital within the period.Number of episodes in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis - The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.ICD-10 codes for Sepsis include – “A02.1 Salmonella sepsis, A20.7 Septicaemic plague, A21.7 Generalized tularaemia, A22.7 Anthrax sepsis, A26.7 Erysipelothrix sepsis, A28.0 Pasteurellosis, A28.2 Extraintestinal yersiniosis, A32.7 Listerial sepsis, A39.2 Acute meningococcaemia, A39.3 Chronic meningococcaemia, A39.4 Meningococcaemia, unspecified, A40.- Streptococcal sepsis, A41.- Other sepsis, A42.7 Actinomycotic sepsis, B37.7 Candidal sepsis, O85.X Puerperal sepsis, P36.- Bacterial sepsis of newborn,  The following pair of codes is a dagger/asterisk code pair (D and A) which must be present together: A39.1 Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, E35.1 Disorders of adrenal glands in diseases classified elsewhere.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average cost for each patient of second allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplants for relapsed disease in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: No such estimate has been made.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of patients who have received a second allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant for relapsed disease in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not held in the format requested.

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the (a) Prime Minister, (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (c) Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on potential additional funding for the NHS after the UK has left  the EU.

David Mowat: The Secretary of State for Health has regular discussions with Ministerial and Cabinet colleagues to discuss National Health Service finances. The Department and the Government as a whole are determined to make a success of leaving the European Union. And we are fully committed to the NHS, demonstrated by the Government commitment to increase funding for the NHS by an additional £10 billion a year in real terms by 2020-21, to ensure the NHS delivers world class care to all who need it.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on funding research into improving the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not available. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) spent £25.5 million on respiratory disease research in 2014/15 (the latest available figure). Most of this investment (£16.6 million in 2014/15) is in infrastructure for respiratory research where spend on specific topics such as the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cannot be separated from total infrastructure expenditure. This infrastructure includes NIHR biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network. The NIHR manages the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, which is funded by the Medical Research Council and NIHR. The programme is currently funding a £1.4 million efficacy and mechanism evaluation of treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with the addition of co-trimoxazole.

First Aid: Education

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the British Red Cross research paper, Don't stop at 999, published in September 2016, on preventable deaths; and what steps he is taking to ensure that basic first aid education is included in the Government's public health strategy.

Mr Philip Dunne: No specific assessment of the implications of the recent Red Cross research – Don’t Stop at 999 has been made. However, it is recognised the timely application of first aid can help minimise the impact of injuries, as well as health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, and contribute to avoiding preventable deaths. The NHS Choices website contains information for the public on first aid responses to various injuries and health incidents. In addition, the Government is making available another £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England. This builds on last year’s funding of £1 million, which provided almost 700 more publicly accessible defibrillators in communities across England and increased the numbers of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The national Act Fast campaign also aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of stroke, teach people what to look out for in themselves and others, and encourage those who notice the symptoms to call 999. Since Act Fast launched in 2009, it is estimated that an additional 47,000 people reached hospital within the vital three-hour window and over 5,000 fewer people became disabled as a result of a stroke. Local authorities in England have the lead responsibility for identifying and meeting needs for local interventions to improve the health of their populations.